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What does the Addis Ababa draft say?
The Addis Ababa Education Bureau has released a draft directive on accreditation and opened it to comment. Tikvah Education and Tikvah Ethiopia both reported it on 6 November 2026 (Tikimt 27, 2019 E.C.).
The draft bars enrolment for next year before the current school year ends. A school found doing so would first receive advice recorded in minutes, then a written warning. If it still did not correct the problem, its accreditation would be suspended for one year and restored only after the bureau confirms the fix. If the problem remained, accreditation would be cancelled. Tikvah Education attributed these penalty details to Ahadu Radio.
Which schools and services does it cover?
The draft covers government, private and non-governmental institutions, including distance learning, tutorial classes, language training and counselling. Pre-primary to Grade 8 and tutorial classes are licensed through sub-city education offices, and Grades 9 to 12, language training, distance learning and counselling through the bureau.
New institutions need 85 percent of the standard at pre-accreditation and 100 percent within a year. Special-needs centres need 65 percent.
When do applications open, and what must you bring?
The draft sets a separate window for each service. An institution that does not apply within its window cannot get the service.
| Service | Application window |
|---|---|
| Renewal and upgrade of accreditation | Yekatit 1 to Megabit 30, 2019 E.C. (8 February to 8 April 2027) |
| Pre-accreditation for new general institutions | Megabit 1 to Miyazia 30, 2019 E.C. (10 March to 8 May 2027) |
| Distance learning, first semester | Ginbot 1 to Sene 30, 2019 E.C. (9 May to 7 July 2027) |
| Distance learning, second semester | Hidar 1 to Tahsas 30, 2019 E.C. (10 November 2026 to 8 January 2027) |
Tutorial and language providers must apply one month before they start. Post-accreditation checks begin on Hidar 1, 2019 E.C. (10 November 2026). An institution that fails has 30 days to fix its gaps and is assessed once more.
A school that owns its building needs a certified land holding card. A school that rents needs a notarised lease of at least two academic years and a copy of its land card. The reports give no closing date for comments and no application fee, and neither has been announced.
What should you do?
Ask for the full text
The reports quote only parts of the draft. Ask the Addis Ababa Education Bureau or your sub-city education office for the whole document.
Send comments
The bureau is collecting comments on the draft. The reports do not say how or by when, so ask the bureau directly.
Check before paying
Parents should ask a school, before paying any deposit, whether it has already begun next year's enrolment.
What lies behind the draft?
Tikvah Ethiopia quoted the bureau saying the draft aims to secure quality, fairness and consistent accountability in institutions. It also bars summer or remedial classes from replacing the regular calendar, and bars keeping pupils out of class, from exams or from enrolment because of them.
Schools may not require an average grade, a behaviour report, a class rank or an entrance test before admission, nor refuse pupils on grounds of sex, religion, ethnicity, social background, political view or disability.
Sources
Every figure and date above comes from one of these. Open them; a story about your child's school is worth checking.
